Ruminations of a runner and recipe-maker, who serves up ranty cynicisms from time to time.

Monday, April 12, 2010

You can pick your friends, you can pick out your clothes, but you cannot pick your neighbors......

I have blogged in the past about my neighbor, and my constant battle of annoyance. Through all this, I have had many instances of avoiding him/ignoring him/pretending I don't "see him".........but yesterday - I stepped outside of my "nice box".

I was pushed beyond the point of civil.

As I've mentioned in the past...he is a smoker. Now, (I am sorry to anyone reading this that may smoke), but I have a strong adversity to smokers. They smell bad. If you are a smoker, and your saying, "Oh...not me! Haha. I smell great"

But if he wants to smoke, if he wants to slowly cause COPD/emphysema/lung cancer/heart disease and the long, listing-cocktail of co-morbidities involved in smoking. Fine. Go for it!

BUT!......

I am NOT OKAY with cigarette butts being thrown in our yard.

We started noticing in our back yard a year ago (when we moved to this house) a pile of butts. We figured "It must be from the previous renters." So I picked them up, and nicely placed them in the garbage.

Well, two weeks ago we were spraying for weeds/doing yard work, and I found more!!

This time, I reacted a little stronger. My neighbors had their windows open that day. So I proclaimed loudly, "WEIRD! Look Ryan! There's all these cigarette butts in our yard! HOW STRANGE. Neither of us smoke! I wonder where these are COMING FROM?!?!"

Apparently that was too subtle. I picked them all up, and threw them away.

So, yesterday we were (once again) working in the yard. And I found more. Many more. I counted 38, actually.

I looked at Ryan with "that look". "That look" was a look of anger and evil that over-came me. Now, we had prevoiusly gone to Sunday mass -- but the Lord's message of "Love Thy Neighbor" faded quickly, apparently.

For I started piling up every cigarette butt, stacked them up on the fence seperating our houses, and LOBBED the whole 38-butt-pile into their yard!

I realize that I will probably be confronted on this. And I'm totally okay with it. What is wrong with people? Are they really that lazy? Can they not afford a garbage can? They're really cheap at Wal-Mart! Maybe he could not-buyONE pack of cigarettes and put that money in a "Garbage-Can Savings-Account"

Ugh.

I will keep you posted on the war. If anyone knows where I could purchase one of those "No Smoking" signs - please let me know. Maybe I could hang it up on our fence.....

5 comments:

I feel your pain. I live in a house that's been converted into an apartment and I live on the top floor. My downstairs neighbour smokes like a chimney..cigarettes and marijuana!! The smell comes through the vents and it's horrible! I called my landlord to see what could do about it. My landlord said there was nothing that could be done as people are free to do what they want in their own apartments. It's really not fair! I hope you manage to resolve your neighbour issues..I'm just counting down the days until I can get out of there.

Ugh - I totally know 'the look' which you speak of. I think it's something that we both inherited. I would have been so annoyed/pissed, too. I hope they get the message and don't do that anymore!! Annoying neighbors are the worst.

I know I complain about my nosey neighbors, but they really aren't bad... it's just like living w/ the neighborhood crime watch on crack or something.

Although, I saw my neighbor in the hall when I was between jobs & she said she didn't even know if I lived here anymore because they never see me. THen she asked if I heard her fridge running ever? I was like - um, what? I don't even hear my fridge running, how could I hear hers? She was concerned it was bothering me...

Well, I guess I need to start blogging too...I think I have the worst neighbors...I will expand on that when I can remember my log-on password...it has been too long...I did write it down somewhere but can't remember?!!?Jan

About Me

North-Dakota born, Tucson-resident, Nurse, Runner, Biker-chic (the kind with padded shorts and neon jersey), Chef-Wanna-Be, wine lover, Air Force Wife sharing her adventures of life's adventures, recipes, and a few rants along the way ;)